Meta

Thou Shalt Not Fake News

Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy and Wrath are the 7 deadly sins; but you can now add Fake News to the list because, according to the Pope, the Media are a bunch of Sinners.

Well Jesus uncle Francis, tell us something we didn’t know.

This Christmas the Pontiff has decided to dedicate his upcoming annual communications message to ‘fake news’ and told the Catholic media on Saturday that journalists have a duty to provide ‘precise, complete and correct information’ and not to provide one-sided reports.

“You shouldn’t fall into the ‘sins of communication’, disinformation, giving just one side, calumny that is sensationalized, defamation, looking for things that are old news and have been dealt with and bringing them to light today.” said the pope.

He also called those actions a ‘grave sin that hurts the heart of the journalist and hurts others’.

So, I hope I’m not digging up old wounds when I remind him that Christmas is not actually a ‘christian’ holiday. If we remember our history, Christmas is only a renamed version of Saturnalia, the Roman festival to honour Saturn, God of Plenty, who devoured his own children.

While the god Saturn is no longer worshipped by many, his close buddy Santa (or Satan if your rearrange the letters) is still very popular.

To my Christian friends out there who think I’m being a wet blanket let me quote the bible itself.

Jeremiah 10 verses 1 to 5

1 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel.

2 Do not learn the ways of the nationsor be terrified by signs in the heavens though the nations are terrified by them.

3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless;they cut a tree out of the forest,and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.

4 They adorn it with silver and gold;they fasten it with hammer and nailsso it will not totter.

5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them;they can do no harmnor can they do any good.